Ever since an anonymous someone nominated me as a candidate for SND secretary/treasurer, the first step on the organization's leadership ladder, I've been thinking quite a bit about SND.

The cornerstone of my goals for the Society:

• Keep moving toward fiscal health. The path has been set; it's imperative that SND continue the positive steps it has already taken. Read more.
  
• Re-engage old members and fire up new ones, certainly in new or emerging parts of the world, but also in areas where numbers have plummeted. Remind them of the value of networking, of the bond that shared problem-solving and common experience brings.
  
• Ensure that the value of membership is obvious by following through on what is promised.
• Develop greater partnerships with other professional organizations, not just for financial efficiency, but as a way of breathing new life into SND.
  
• Redouble efforts toward a more diverse membership.
• Build SND's rather prodigious volume of material into an academic resource.
• Continue improving the website.
• Bring journalism fully back into the discussion, and continue to offer ways for people to cope in an ever-changing environment.
• Open a dialogue with membership to find out what ideas they have to improve the organization.
• Present old standards like the contest book using 21st century tools.
• Explore a new model for the conference.
  

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